Hundreds of devotees show their presence to mark the auspicious festival of Navratri Sthapna at Sutharwada, the place where one of the biggest Navratri Festivals of the city is solely conducted by local residents of the area.

With Pandaal, embellished with lights and colorful drapes of linen, splattering the warmth of devotion, the program started at 7:30 in evening today with Maha-Aarti of Goddess Durga followed by religious chants.

Situated in the congested lane of small neighborhood, the navratri festival celebration at Sutharwada attracts hundreds and thousands of people every day.

According to Tulsiram Mali, president of Sutharwada Mitra Mandal, more than 5000 devotees pay their visit to the 43 feet heighted pandal every day. Last year the height was 40ft and when it was first started in 1997 it was merely 20 ft high.

100 volunteers work day and night to make the event successful. According to mali the high end design, decoration and architecture of the pandaal is their own work and all the expenditure comes from the donation made by locals of the area.

The pandal costs more than Rs 2.5 Lac and the stage where the idol of goddess is placed costs Rs 1.5Lac.

The mega structure is constructed on more than one thousand bamboos and it took 15 days to assemble the stage.